The ocean swelled along the horizon, washing against pebbly sand worn smooth by the tide, and roaring where it hit the rocks.  It was quiet at dawn, with the sun just peeking over the horizon, painting the sky with pastel streaks of pink and gold.  The only life seemed to be a small cluster of sea lions gathering on the rocky cliffs, barking quietly at the small red crabs that scurried sideways along the water’s edge.  And, of course, there was the green scaled boy.  

He was never quiet.  Instead, Pan was humming as he walked along the morning shoreline, digging in the sand to unearth small sand crabs and giggling as they scurried away from his prying lips.  He gathered pieces of green and blue sea glass, worn smooth from the tumbling tides, and shards of broken seashells between his teeth, placing them gently in a well-loved leather satchel as he went.  

You would think that the child stallion would walk in a straight line, but instead, the tracks he left in the sand told a different tale.  First, he’d wander just past the breaking surf, letting the salty water wash against his legs.  Then, he’d dance away from the water, get distracted by a shiny object, and circle back once more.  What should have been pristine white sand was littered with his footprints, but it didn’t bother the child.  Instead, he simply let his curiosity roam.

He was somewhere new… alone, but letting his imagination comfort him.  Rook had left him.  Florentine had disappeared… even Oliver, his constant companion, seemed to have gone somewhere.  So, Pan had done the only thing he knew to do, he followed the Rift tide to another world.  But this time, he got stuck.  It was a funny thing, he supposed, that time could be so unpredictable.  Yet he was making the best of his detour, exploring the strange new land with a cautious sort of optimism.

Turning to blink against the sun, the colt smiled at a shadow on the horizon – small at first, but growing larger.  His heart leaped, curious about who was approaching, but excited at the prospect of a new friend.  Hello! he cried out over the sound of the sea lions.  I’m Pan!  And he waited until the stranger grew closer, with an expectant smile on his face.

Pan

If Pan’s heart leapt for the excitement of meeting a new friend, then he was going to be sorely disappointed.
 
Florentine, never one to beat about the bush, could be found marching down the beach. Her eyes possessed unparalleled focus as they fixed themselves upon the emerald colt and his flapping satchel.
 
Satchel-boy and she had unfinished business that included a hairy incident of rift surfing and involved them being split up and thrown off the rift tide in opposite directions. There are just some things you don’t do in the rift tide and that was stick your legs out. So, what had Pan done? Once Pan started it, Flora, in her shock and horror had also set about flailing through the tide between time and space.
 
It was a terrible jumble of stars and roaring, much akin to the time she was barreled out of the sea by a particularly enthusiastic wave… Impromptu jumbling over, Florentine had found herself in a most curious place and she had been searching for Pan ever since. (In a most relaxed manner, she would have to confess…).
 
Striding down the beach, the flower girl barely registers the sea spray dampening her skin and drying to tacky salt crystals. Instead, the only object of her gaze is her BFF and his satchel of tricks.
 
“Of course you are Pan! Who else would you be?” Flora asks her nose crinkling (in the way it enjoys) as she peers at her younger friend. She pauses for a moment, considering the colt before her as a most worrisome thought begins to wheedle its way into her mind. “You didn’t lose your memory when you fell out of the Rift did you?”
 
Florentine did not enjoy the prospect of getting to know Pan again. This was already round 2 of their friendship after all….


this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

As the sun began to clear away the shadows, and Pan began to see more clearly, his grin widened to a toothy smile as recognition dawned over him.  Warmth spread through the boy, as if he’d found a lost treasure after many months of searching.  It hadn’t been months… that much he was sure of… but it had been some time that he’d been alone.  And the green boy hated nothing more than being by himself.  Who then, was better to share this new adventure with, than his best friend.

Her worried words drew a giggle from the child, and he reached forward to lip at her mane affectionately, twisting an errant purple flower back into place and rummaging through his bag to draw out a pretty piece of silver twine, which he deftly plaited alongside the bloom.  Florentine’s tone sounded worried, if not a bit agitated, but Pan knew just how to soothe the young mare, and nibbled gently at her golden withers before responding.  ”I didn’t lose my memories… but I thought I’d lost you…”  His last words were almost poetic, betraying his own worry as he brushed away the fear that he’d be alone and have lost his friend forever.  After all… Rook had left forever, and Pan still hadn’t fully recovered.

”What is this place?”  It wasn’t that he was complaining.  In fact, he was happy to be back on the shore, finding his way here like a moth to the flame.  Flora would know that the sea always drew Pan back, singing to his soul like a siren drawing him into the depths.  ”I can’t remember what happened… one minute we were in the rift tide, and then I was somewhere new… I think we’re trapped here.”  After all, the boy had tried desperately to get back, foolishly lunging at the open air, looking for any pocket of time travel he could find.  But the Rift tide had closed, leaving nothing but the boy and girl alone in this new world.

”I can’t find Oliver…”  There was a note of worry in his voice, but still too, Pan remembered that Oliver had taken a while to find his way back to him in the Rift… so he tried to stay optimistic about the prospect.  Looking around, he sighed as the sea lions took to the open water, swimming away without looking back at the pale green boy.  It wasn’t home, but it was some version of it… so he supposed it was time to start looking up once more.

Pan

Flora huffs. There was something about Pan that brought our the absolute best in the young girl and also the absolute worst. Poor Pan was set to experience Florentine’s bossiness and her absolute adoration. This day was no different…
 
An ugly scowl, even for Flora, draws its lines across her slender face. “Well you seemed to forget who I was just then and be happy enough to meet someone new.” Her petulant mumble is only just audible over the sighing of the tide that washes its way up the beach toward the young pair.
 
Even whilst she complains, even whilst her scowl persists, her heart warms for his confession. Finally her brow smoothes and her lips soften as she confesses meekly, “I thought I’d lost you too, Pan.”
 
The line of her neck softens beneath his touch, the smallest, awkward shuffle of her feet as she moves closer and leans into his touch. Her own lips reach for him, touching the scales on his neck. She has learnt every inch of this colt, she knows his body as well as she knows her own. Flora knows the warm, silkly sooft feel of each delicate scale upon his body from the nights they spent tangled up asleep in Neverland and any other land they had exhausted themselves exploring.
 
Her eyes glance about the land and she smiles gently. “This place is called Novus.” She pauses thoughtfully, considering the first few days she had spent here. “I like it, but it’s even better now you are here.” She smiles, considering all the adventures they could have and never once considering her drive to explore may wane, whilst the colt, eternally young, would forever desire to explore. “I was thinking of staying for a bit before going home. Wanna stay with me? I live at a place called Terrastella. It’s very cool!”
 
Her lips tip down. She had not spared a thought for Oliver or Rock. “Did you lose him in the rift tide?” The flower girl asks, ashamed she had not thought of Pan’s companions before now.

@Pan

this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

Novus.  He turns the name over and over again in his mind, wondering if he’d heard of it before (but of course, he hadn’t).  In his short time here, Pan had done a fair bit of exploring, but he was dismayed to find there was nowhere by the sea to live… so he settled for the river that stretched from the sea to the plains.  It was water after all, and when Oliver came back, he would know to find Pan near the ocean.  Walking slowly toward the delta, he motioned to the north.  “I live here, I think… I don’t know what it’s called, but it seems like a nice enough place.  Where is Terrastella?  Is it far from here?”

He was a bit dismayed to hear that Flora didn’t live by the shore, for he wanted nothing more than to be close to his friend.  But he also knew that she would want her gardens, in the same way he needed his sea.  And, Pan was never too far away.  He was a nomad at heart, straying far from the place he called “home”, even when he seemed to find his way back.  Here, things would be no different.

”How did we get here?  I remember being in the Rift tide, but I think that we’re stuck here now… I can’t seem to get back.”  Scowling at the sky, he wondered aloud.  "What about your mom and dad Flora… do you think they’ll be worried?”  He’d miss Karou, for sure.  She had been one of his first friends, long ago when he’d lived in the water kingdom.  It seemed strange to think he might not see her again, but stranger for Flora… and Pan briefly hoped that he hadn’t upset the flower girl, and flicked a sideways glance toward her.  His concern grew some when he considered how different she looked than before.  She was taller, leaner, her baby coat gone and replaced with something sleek and gold.  He wouldn’t admit that his friend was growing up, but it was hard to deny what he saw with his own eyes.  Still, he could pretend that everything was fine – that she’d stay young forever.  That she’d stay with him.

Focusing back on her question, he chewed on his lip thoughtfully.  ”I don’t know where they went.  Rock was at home, probably sleeping in the sun… I don’t think he even came with us.  But Oliver… he must have gotten trapped somewhere.  Maybe he’s lost, and trying to find us.”  He hoped not, but it was hard to imagine that the otter was anything but worried about his scaled companion.  After all, Pan hadn’t stopped wishing that he’d find the furry beast since arriving in this land.  But he tried not to think about it, drawing in a steadying breath of sea air and pushing down the concern.  ”Tell me what you’ve learned, about this Novus... I’ve only just arrived.”

Pan

Florentine follows Pan’s attention to the north. She had been restless since arriving in Novus and explored much of the landscape, although she did not yet know all their names.
 
A wing, long now with adult growth and bearing its full feathers, points to the cliffs rising in the distance. They stretched out bordering Terminus Sea and glowing a soft white beneath the glow of the sun. “That is the border of Terrastella, the cliffs meet the sea…” Florentine pauses, her amethyst eyes, such a contrast to the sea, yet just as spirited, flit back to Pan. “But we have no beaches like this. Only strong coastal winds that disturb my petals terribly.” The young girl adds with disdain.
 
Florentine allows Pan to pull her thoughts back to Rift, to her parents, homeless and roaming through the Time-worried lands. She had never known them more at peace, particularly her father, since the Winter Court was ruined. There is so much that the honey-girl has seen through her travels across Time and Space. Flora knows what their future holds and she smiles to her friend, “No, I don’t worry about them.”
 
Flora pauses then, her brows furrowing as she thinks of what they may make of her absence. The look is fleeting, there for only moments before her small little smile is back, curling her lips. “They are used to me disappearing. Now they know I won’t go and get myself killed in a war, they are a lot more lenient. But daddy will always be angsty over everything anyway. ”
 
Pan’s concerns do not reach Flora, even as she gazes out across the sea and feels the strangeness of this new land. “There is always a way to leave, Pan. But don’t forget that we have the dagger!” As if to remind him of her instrument of time travel lying about her throat, she lifts it carefully to let the gems of its hilt sparkle in the sunlight. ‘The dagger will see us home.”
 
Had the flower girl not been so absorbed, so full of confidence, then she may have heeded pan’s concerns and felt the absence of magic upon her dagger. But alas, she does not, so distracted, so absorbed in exploring Novus.
 
A wing extends to brush against Pan’s side and then lie across his spine. “We will find your companions. I am sure they are having a lovely time where they are and you will all be reunited before too much longer. In fact, I bet they will find their way here!” She smiles, full of confidence, too blind to even consider the possibility that Pan’s companions could be gone for good. Time will be hiding them somewhere, they just needed to find where….
 
“Well,” She begins, “My adventures really have not revealed much beyond the fact that there are different courts and each has a god.” Florentine pauses then, before her voice lowers to a whisper, just in case a particularly devout stranger might suddenly pop out and declare her a blasphemer for all of Novus to hear, “I don’t want to believe in just one god, Pan. I have seen so many gods and so many places that don’t even have gods…” The flower girl pauses once more, going even quieter, “Do you believe in gods, Pan?” 

@Pan

this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

Did he believe in gods?  It was hard not to, since he’d seen so many through his life as well.  ”I’ve met a lot of them… so it’s hard to really deny that gods exist.”  It was an insightful thought for the usually playful colt.  In truth, it was always a bit of an oddity to see the green colt act in a serious manner… but the question was serious, and Pan dug deeper than he usually would for insightful answers.  ”I didn’t know you at Ravos… but your mom was there.  We had gods there – Selke, and No, and Maaemo.  They were the gods of the water, and the earth.”  Of course, others had been gods too, Pan just hadn’t known about them.  In particular, he would have been rather tickled to learn that Fantome was a god.  He only knew the winged creature as part dragon, never understanding his affiliation to the wind or even to his own son Rook.

”And then, there was the Moon Goddess… you didn’t meet her either, I suppose.  I didn’t actually meet her, come to think of it… but Serket taught me about her when she taught me the ice magic.  That was at Oblivion – another place…”  And another time, a time far from here.  

”You see that mountain?”  He gestured toward the highest peak – Verenor Peak was the name, as Inkheart had explained.  ”I met a lady up there – Inkheart.  She said it’s the home of the gods… well, one god anyway.  She told me about Solis – the god of the sun and day time.  I tried to give him some of my treasure, but he never came to say hello.”  Strange, as the gods usually responded when Pan called to them.  But, maybe this place was different.  After all, Inkheart had seemed mighty convinced that Solis existed.  ”Maybe he’s not real… I didn’t see him, so I can’t be sure.”  And that was the crux of the matter.  

The scaled boy had no reservations about believing the idea of gods, but he had a hard time in believing things he couldn’t see.  Faith had never been his strong point, and he wasn’t discerning when it came to believing in the gods (if, in fact, he could understand it)… but the gods here were confusing.  He didn’t understand them, and hadn’t really learned enough to pass judgment on the matter.  ”I don’t think there’s just one god though… can you tell me about the others?  Considering it, he added, ”I don’t think you have to pick just one.”  At least, he didn’t intend to.  He’d believe in the ones who called to him, and while he had no issue showing respect to the others, he could only be considered a faithful follower of those who really spoke to him.

Though she listens to Pan, Florentine’s gaze settles upon the horizon. The cool breeze rolling in off the sea is refreshing as it pushes the waves forward. Tracks in the sand trace the path she leads down to the shoreline. The tide washes across their path, pulling sand from beneath their feet and vanishing their tracks.
The playful sea breeze toys with the girl’s tangled mane, casting it this way and that, hiding the furrows of thought that mar her face. “I forget that you have been a foal for so long, that you were friends with my mother before me.” There is a hint of sadness in the wild girl’s voice. It is a melancholy tone her mother also once had for the boy who could never grow up with them.
 
“I know gods exist because I have seen them on our adventures. But I think of all the worlds where there were no gods and I am not sure why they are needed.”
 
The waves froth against her slender limbs, hissing and bubbling across the sand as they recede back towards the body of the sea. “We didn’t have gods at Rift, Pan. I am supposed to worship a goddess, Vespera, but I am not sure I can, or even want to.” Her voice is so hushed that even the whispers of the gentle tide is louder.
 
Her eyes flit about, as nervous as a bird whose freedom is threatened. She searches, with amethyst eyes, as if for salvation. A name draws her gaze back to Pan and fixes an amused smile upon her troubled lips. “I know Inkheart. She has been telling me all about Solis too, and Vespera.” Flora takes a breath, saddened by her following revelation. “I am not sure I came off too well.” Her smile turns rueful as her petals stir restlessly.
 
I don’t think you have to pick just one.
 
The dusk girl’s response is a strangled sound trapped between a laugh and a whine – it was a hard enough challenge to bring herself to pick one, let alone more. “I plan to go visit the temples and see what I make of them there. Have you visited the temples yet?”

@Pan

this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

Flora didn’t need to believe.  Pan had enough belief in him for the both of them.  That, and he liked the idea that there was someone out there looking out for them (nevermind that the gods also seemed to meddle… Pan never really considered that part of the god-mortal relationship).  He offered Flora a soft smile when she mentioned that he’d been a foal longer than she knew him… for he knew that he’d be a foal forever.  He never intended to grow up, and didn’t care one flit about the consequences.  If Flora knew what was good for her, she wouldn’t grow up either… but already she was moving forward with her life – he could see it.  Pan just tried not to think of the fact that she would grow older and older, outgrowing his playful antics and childlike wonder… after all, didn’t all grownups lose their sense of whimsy?

Shaking away the thought, he paced a bit, listening to her talking about a new goddess.  Vespera.  He liked the sound of her, and interrupted with questions.  ”Do you know what she’s like?  Inkheart seemed to make it sound like Solis was mean.  A warrior… some god to be feared.  I don’t like to fear the gods… I want them to be kind, and fair, and just.”  But that was just wishful thinking.  After all, Pan knew that gods were not always kind.  But somehow, he usually still found a way to get them to smile, and begrudgingly accept his bubbly presence.  Call it a gift.

”Maybe the gods protect us… or maybe they can save us when things go wrong.  I worship the gods when I need advice, or help, or just someone to talk to.  Because that’s the cool thing about gods. They’re always around, even if you don’t always see them.”  At least, the gods who had made themselves known to him were.  He didn’t know about the gods where you just heard stories and didn’t ever see them in real life.  But Pan liked the feeling of never being alone.  ”What temples?  I saw the Day Court… you can come with me and see it if you want.  I don’t know if that’s a god place though… but the mountain is!  Do you suppose there’s a god here, in the Day Court?  I’ll come with you… we should stick together Flora”  After all, what if the gods were mean?  She would need a protector… and Pan didn’t intend to let Flora out of his sight.  He couldn’t lose her again.

Pan

 
It was not hard to stand beside her closest friend upon the golden sands of one beach, with its rolling sea, and to recall another day when they had stood upon another beach.
 
Amidst the talk of gods and lands her heart aches for a home she had, had so briefly. “I miss Neverland, Pan.” She says so softly, the Novus winds try to steal her confession away. Amethyst eyes, dusky dark turn to her friend, glimmering with unshed tears like the twinkling of early stars.
 
Oh this pain, this pain that crept upon her with its needle-sharp pain. Oh this ache that pierced so deeply into her heart it stole her breath and set fire burning within her soul. It would consume her. She knew this, she would be ash at the end of this slow burning fire. Grief would make her soot upon the wind.
 
These were idle flames she bore. Her playful countenance, her bright spirit, were water to these glowing embers. But her light disposition would never rid her of this grief. Oh simple, simple dagger.
 
Pan, that boy of scales and emerald green, pulls her back, back into this conversation of gods and temples. Florentine lets him, for to not would merely be to wallow in remorse. Consideration of his words, lowers her lashes to her cheeks.
 
“She made him seem grand and wonderful.” She says of Inkheart at last, her voice soft, pensive.  “But I know nothing more of Solis than what she has told me.”
 
Her smile alights upon her face, a rising sun through the dark, crying rains of night. “I hope gods are like that too, Pan, for I cannot help but view them as superfluous…” Her smile turns guiltily sly.
 
“I believe the Dawn god is Oriens…” Flower strewn hair shivers as she shakes her head with disbelief. How ironic that the girl who could not believe was the very one who knew the most about the gods… Her gaze pulls him in to bruised purple as she smiles, “We should stick together Pan. Where is home? I live in the Dusk Court, I should like to show it to you?” 

@Pan - shall we conclude this thread and we can do one with Yana in the Dusk Court?

this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart